Beginning in 2026, all new cars sold in the European Union must come equipped with AI-powered driver monitoring systems (DMS)—part of a sweeping safety regulation meant to reduce traffic fatalities and enhance road discipline.
These systems use in-cabin cameras and artificial intelligence to detect a variety of driver behaviors and conditions, including:
- Phone usage while driving
- Smoking inside the vehicle
- Not wearing a seatbelt
- Drowsiness or inattention
- Driver distraction (e.g. looking away from the road)
- Emotional states such as stress or anger, through facial expression tracking
The technology is being developed by several firms including Bosch, Valeo, Seeing Machines, and Smart Eye, and will become standard in all cars sold across Europe due to mandates from the European Commission’s General Safety Regulation (GSR).
How It Works
AI cameras will be mounted above the steering wheel or within the dashboard and will monitor the driver’s face and eye movements. The data will be processed locally (on-device) to issue alerts or warnings, such as:
- Audible alerts if the driver is distracted
- Gentle vibrations or automatic braking if the driver shows signs of sleepiness
- On-screen messages advising breaks during long trips
These systems are not connected to law enforcement, at least not yet. Automakers emphasize that all image data is processed locally and deleted unless required for accident analysis.
“The goal is to save lives, not to spy,” says Katrin Becker, head of vehicle safety policy at Bosch. “Distraction is one of the leading causes of road deaths. These systems are like a digital co-pilot.”
Pushback and Privacy Concerns
Privacy advocates and consumer rights groups have expressed serious concerns about the intrusive nature of AI monitoring.
Eva Rademacher, spokesperson for Europe’s Digital Rights Coalition, warns:
“We’re normalizing in-vehicle surveillance under the guise of safety. What begins with drowsiness alerts could evolve into behavior scoring and constant monitoring.”
There are also fears that automakers or insurance companies could one day store or monetize this data, especially in connected vehicles with cloud integration.
Despite criticism, EU regulators insist the measures are necessary. In 2022 alone, over 20,000 road fatalities were recorded across the EU. Experts estimate that AI monitoring could reduce distraction-related accidents by up to 30%.
Coming to Other Markets
While the mandate begins in Europe, similar policies are being evaluated in:
- United States: The NHTSA is considering including AI DMS in its next wave of safety requirements.
- China: Already experimenting with AI driver cameras as part of its aggressive smart mobility push.
- Japan and South Korea: Automakers like Nissan and Hyundai are adding in-cabin cameras voluntarily.
With AI becoming a co-pilot of sorts, smart vehicles are shifting focus from just external autonomy to internal awareness, watching not only the road — but the person behind the wheel.
